Kitchen that’s dished up 430,000 free meals
WHEN the first lockdown was imposed last March, few of us could have imagined the effect it would have or for how long the restrictions would last.
As Scots were advised to stay at home and many lost their jobs, volunteers organised food deliveries for those in need. Now one group has revealed it has delivered more than 400,000 free meals in the pandemic.
Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts was set up in Edinburgh last March and has been providing breakfast, soup, a snack and a main course for only 50p per person.
Unlike food banks, there is no referral needed and also no means testing, so people can access meals immediately when they need them. By the end of this month it is expected that half a million meals will have been delivered – with the number so far around 430,000.
On just one day last week, 1,041 of the 50p ‘day packs’ were dropped off.
Supermarkets donate food to the organisation, which means that most of the costs are for the containers and fuel for the delivery van. One of the founders,
Sonya Mathews, 35, said: ‘We get people who are really grateful to get food without all the red tape.’
More than 200 volunteers help with packing up parcels, with 60 people offering to work in a socially distanced kitchen in Leith.
Another 100 volunteers deliver food, and over the course of the pandemic more than 1,000 helpers have given up their time.
People who have been furloughed or have become unemployed have lent a hand, including teachers, bankers and students, with many working one day a week.